Many electric components require a hermetic encapsulation in order to ensure their operation and reliability. This is realized, for example, by housing the component within a cavity which is formed, for example, by a trough-shaped substrate with a flat cover, a flat substrate with a trough-shaped cap or a trough-shaped substrate with a trough-shaped cap. Customary methods for connecting substrate and cover are based on metallic soldering or organic adhesives as connecting means. The connection comes about here by melting and resolidification or by thermally initiated polymerization.
However, the joining methods throw up a surprisingly persistent problem. Both solders and adhesives are viscous during processing and even in this state separate off the internal volume from the environment. In conjunction with the temperature profile, during the closing process pressure differences arise between internal volume and environment, which pressure differences can lift the cover or cause same to slip. A further possible consequence is flowing of the viscous connecting means because of this pressure, or a formation of channels because of a rupture in the interior at positive pressure and consequent leakages. Up to now, the problem has been countered, for example, by the covers being secured with weights or clamps, which is very complicated in particular in the case of a large number of parts.